The invitation to Stark Industries' Expo arrived in late March, delivered by courier with Tony's personal note attached: "Chen - You should see this. Besides, I want my architect there when I show off. Bring your team. - TS"
David stared at the invitation, his stomach knotting with anticipation and dread. He knew what would happen at this expo, Vanko's attack, the revelation that arc reactor technology wasn't unique, Tony's very public near-death experience. It was a pivotal moment in the MCU timeline, and David would be there to witness it.
"Boss, is something wrong?" Maria asked, noticing his expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just thinking about scheduling," David lied smoothly. "The expo is the same week we're supposed to break ground on the Queens project."
"I can reschedule that. Mr. Stark doesn't invite people personally very often. You should go."
David nodded, already planning. He'd bring Marcus, both for security and because Marcus deserved to see the spectacle. Maybe Sofia too, to observe and analyze. The expo would be informative regardless of Vanko's attack, and if the attack happened as David remembered, being present might provide opportunities to help or at least gather intelligence.
"Accept the invitation," David told Maria. "And let Marcus and Sofia know they're coming with me."
The week before the expo, everything accelerated. The South Bronx building's structural work was nearly complete, the steel skeleton standing twelve stories tall, dominating the neighborhood skyline. David walked the site daily, checking progress, ensuring quality, and feeling the building's emerging presence. It was becoming what he'd envisioned, a fortress disguised as affordable housing, strong enough to shelter people when ordinary structures crumbled.
"This is going to be special," Jorge said, pride evident in his voice. "Twenty-five years in construction, I've never worked on a building like this. The quality, the attention to detail, the way every element fits together, it's art and engineering combined."
"That's the goal," David replied. "Buildings should be both functional and beautiful. Especially buildings that house families."
"When do residents start moving in?"
"Late July, if we stay on schedule." July, right around when the Chitauri invasion would occur, if David's timeline was accurate. The building would be occupied by families, filled with lives and dreams, and David would need it to protect those families when the impossible arrived.
The thought sat in his stomach like lead. He'd built this structure with meticulous care, designed it to withstand forces that normal buildings couldn't survive. But would it be enough? When alien soldiers poured through a portal in the sky, when energy weapons fired and explosions rocked the city, would his careful engineering actually save lives?
He'd find out in a few months. The uncertainty was maddening.
Tyler approached, tablet in hand, his expression troubled. "Boss, we have a problem with the window installation. The contractor wants to use different glass than specified, says it's equivalent quality but significantly cheaper."
David reviewed the specifications. The glass he'd specified was impact-resistant, designed to withstand significant force without shattering into dangerous shards. The contractor's substitute was standard commercial glass that met code but lacked the enhanced protection David had designed for.
"No substitution," David decided. "We use the specified glass or we find a different contractor."
"That's going to cost us an extra forty thousand dollars."
"Then it costs us forty thousand dollars. Tyler, this building needs to protect the people living in it. That means windows that don't become shrapnel in high-wind events or impacts. We don't compromise on resident safety to save money."
Tyler nodded, accepting the decision, but David could see the wheels turning in the young man's mind. Another data point in the pattern Tyler was constructing, David's willingness to spend extra money on protective features that seemed excessive for a residential building.
Eventually, Tyler would put enough pieces together to form uncomfortable conclusions. David was both dreading and preparing for that conversation.
The Stark Industries Expo was everything David expected and more, a spectacular display of technology, corporate showmanship, and Tony's particular brand of genius self-promotion. The venue in Queens was massive, filled with exhibits showcasing various companies' contributions to defense and security technology.
David, Marcus, and Sofia arrived early evening, navigating through crowds of industry professionals, military representatives, and technology enthusiasts. The atmosphere was electric, a mixture of genuine innovation and corporate posturing.
"This is impressive," Marcus observed, scanning the exhibits with professional interest. "Half of this is legitimately advanced technology. The other half is vaporware dressed up to attract investment."
"Can you tell which is which?" Sofia asked.
"Usually. Real technology has specific technical details and demonstrated capabilities. Vaporware has lots of promises and impressive renderings but nothing actually working."
They moved through the exhibits, David paying close attention to anything that might be relevant to the Foundation's work. Advanced materials that could enhance building durability. Energy systems that could provide emergency power. Communications technology that could maintain connectivity during infrastructure disruption.
And underneath his professional interest, David felt mounting tension. Vanko's attack would come soon, during Tony's presentation, if David's memory was accurate. He didn't know exactly when or how, but the threat was approaching with each passing minute.
"You're tense," Marcus observed quietly. "What's wrong?"
"Just anticipating potential security issues. Events like this attract attention, not all of it friendly."
Marcus's expression sharpened. "You're expecting trouble."
"I'm considering possibilities. Large crowds, high-profile target, lots of military and defense industry presence. It's the kind of event that could attract hostile interest."
"Should we leave?"
David considered that option. They could leave, avoid whatever was coming, stay safe. But being present might provide opportunities to help, to mitigate damage, to gather intelligence that could be useful later.
"No. But stay alert."
Tony's presentation was scheduled for 8 PM in the main arena. They found seats with good sightlines, Marcus's security training meant he automatically positioned them near exits with clear escape routes. The arena filled with thousands of people, all eager to see Tony Stark's latest demonstration.
Tony's entrance was characteristically dramatic, emerging from beneath the stage in his Iron Man armor, landing with a theatrical flourish that drew cheers from the crowd. He launched into his presentation, discussing Stark Industries' evolution from weapons manufacturing to clean energy and technological innovation.
David watched the presentation while monitoring the crowd and venue for signs of trouble. Marcus was doing the same, his military alertness manifesting in the way he tracked movement patterns and noted anomalies.
"Boss," Sofia whispered, her attention on her phone. "I'm seeing unusual network activity. Multiple devices in the venue suddenly went active in coordinated patterns. That's not normal."
"What kind of devices?"
"I can't tell exactly, the signatures are scrambled. But the coordination suggests someone's running a distributed operation through the venue's network."
David's pulse quickened. This was it, the precursor to Vanko's attack. "Marcus, we should move toward exits. Sofia, can you track where the network activity is concentrated?"
"Working on it. It's, "
The explosion cut off her words. On the stage, one of the demonstration drones suddenly activated, its weapons systems coming online. Then another. Then a dozen more. Within seconds, the carefully choreographed demonstration had transformed into chaos as military drones turned on their creator.
The crowd erupted in panic, people surging toward exits. Marcus immediately took control, his command voice cutting through the noise. "David, Sofia, with me. We move together, stay low, head for the north exit."
Tony was airborne now, the Iron Man suit engaging the rogue drones in aerial combat that was spectacular and terrifying. Energy beams crisscrossed the arena, explosions blooming in the air, debris raining down on the panicking crowd.
David found himself moving on instinct, following Marcus's lead while trying to track what was happening on stage. This was the Whiplash attack, though he couldn't see Vanko himself, just the evidence of his control as drones that should have been inert suddenly possessed lethal autonomy.
They were halfway to the exit when Sofia stumbled, caught in the crush of panicking people. Marcus caught her before she fell, pulling her upright. "Stay together! Don't separate!"
A drone exploded overhead, showering them with burning fragments. Marcus pushed both David and Sofia against a wall, using his body to shield them from the worst of the debris. When the immediate danger passed, they continued toward the exit.
The evacuation was chaotic but surprisingly organized, security personnel and military representatives present for the expo were taking control, directing crowd flow, preventing stampedes. David spotted Agent Coulson across the arena, coordinating SHIELD's response with professional efficiency.
They made it outside just as another series of explosions rocked the venue. Emergency services were already responding, fire trucks, ambulances, police establishing perimeters. Marcus guided them away from the immediate area, finding a position where they could observe without interfering.
Tony was still fighting inside, visible through the arena's windows and skylights. The battle was intense, spectacular, and clearly pushing Tony to his limits. David watched, knowing how this would end, Tony would win, but barely, and the world would learn that he wasn't the only one with advanced weaponry.
"That was coordinated," Marcus said, his tactical mind analyzing what they'd witnessed. "Someone hacked those drones remotely, turned them into weapons against their creator. That's sophisticated, military-grade cyber warfare capability."
"More than that," Sofia added, her phone still active despite the chaos. "I traced some of the network signatures. Whoever did this wasn't just hacking from outside the venue, they had distributed access through multiple entry points. This was planned carefully, with redundancy and fail-safes built in."
"Who could do something like that?" Marcus asked.
David knew the answer, Justin Hammer working with Ivan Vanko, though proving it would be difficult. "Someone with resources, technical expertise, and serious motivation to embarrass or harm Tony Stark."
The battle inside was winding down. David could see Tony's Iron Man suit, damaged but functional, standing among the wreckage of destroyed drones. The threat was contained, but the message was clear: Tony Stark's technology could be matched, his invulnerability challenged, his position as the sole possessor of advanced powered armor compromised.
"We should check if anyone needs help," David said, moving toward the triage areas being established by emergency services.
They spent the next two hours assisting where they could, helping injured people reach medical attention, using Marcus's first aid training to stabilize wounds, helping coordinate family reunifications as people searched for loved ones in the chaos. It was exhausting, emotionally draining work, but necessary.
David found himself treating a young woman with burns on her arms, the result of a drone explosion. As he worked, applying burn cream from an emergency kit, he thought about the coming Chitauri invasion. This was a small taste of what that day would bring, chaos, injuries, panicked civilians, and infrastructure overwhelmed by sudden catastrophe.
The Foundation's buildings needed to provide shelter during events like this. Their medical clinics needed capacity to handle mass casualties. Their community networks needed resilience to help people find each other and coordinate response when official systems were overloaded.
This expo attack was a test case, and David was learning lessons in real-time.
They returned to the Red Hook warehouse after midnight, exhausted and sobering. The news was already covering the attack, "Terror at Stark Expo," "Drones Turn Deadly," "Iron Man Saves Thousands." The coverage was predictably sensational, but the underlying story was accurate enough.
Someone had attacked Tony Stark publicly, demonstrating both technical sophistication and serious intent. The world had just gotten more dangerous and more unpredictable.
"Emergency meeting," David called, texting the core team. "Tomorrow, 9 AM. We need to discuss implications."
The next morning's meeting was somber. Everyone had seen the news coverage, watched the footage of drones attacking their creator, seen the chaos that resulted when advanced technology was weaponized against civilians.
"This changes things," Patricia said without preamble. "We've been operating on the assumption that threats to our organization would be covert, economic pressure, infiltration, regulatory harassment. But what we saw last night was overt violence using sophisticated weapons. If someone decides to come after us directly with similar capabilities, we're not prepared."
"We're not a military organization," David replied. "We can't prepare for every possible attack vector. But we can build resilience, infrastructure that protects people even during extraordinary events, systems that continue functioning when other systems fail, networks that help communities organize response when official resources are overwhelmed."
"Is that enough?" Sarah asked. "David, what we saw last night was science fiction made real. Military drones being controlled remotely, turned into weapons, used against civilians. If that's possible, what else is possible? What other threats are out there that we're not even imagining?"
David thought about Loki, about the Chitauri, about alien invasion that would make drone attacks seem quaint by comparison. But he couldn't say that without sounding insane.
"I don't know what other threats exist," David said carefully. "But I know resilience is valuable regardless. Whatever comes, people need shelter, medical care, food, community support. We're building capacity to provide those things. That preparation serves people whether threats materialize or not."
"Speaking of which," James interjected, "we should talk about the city partnership application. Deadline is in two weeks, and we need to finalize our proposal."
The conversation shifted to the practical details of the application, which neighborhoods they'd commit to serving, what size projects they'd propose, how they'd scale operations to meet the program's requirements. It was grounding to focus on concrete plans and specific deliverables after the previous night's chaos.
But David's mind kept returning to the expo attack and what it revealed. The world was changing faster than most people realized. Technology was advancing in ways that blurred lines between civilian and military applications. Threats were emerging from unexpected directions.
And somewhere in the shadows, Loki was planning an invasion that would make Tony's drone problem seem trivial.
Three days after the expo, David received an unexpected call from Tony Stark himself.
"Chen, you were there. At the expo."
"I was. Are you okay?"
"Physically? Fine. Psychologically? Still processing that someone turned my technology into an attack against me." Tony's voice carried an edge David hadn't heard before, not quite fear, but serious concern. "I wanted to check on you and your team. Make sure everyone got out safely."
"We're fine. Helped with triage after the immediate danger passed. How's the investigation going?"
"SHIELD's handling it. They've identified the person responsible, Ivan Vanko, Russian physicist with serious grievances against my family. He's in custody now." Tony paused. "But Chen, the thing that bothers me isn't just that he attacked. It's how sophisticated his approach was. He compromised multiple systems, built in redundancy, demonstrated capabilities that suggest serious backing. This wasn't a lone wolf, he had resources."
"What kind of resources?"
"That's what SHIELD is investigating. But between you and me, I'm concerned about the implications. If someone with a grudge can hack advanced weapons systems and turn them against their creators, what's stopping that from happening again? What's stopping it from happening at larger scale?"
It was a good question that David wished he didn't know the answer to. The MCU timeline was full of moments where advanced technology was weaponized, where systems meant to protect people were turned against them, where the line between defense and threat blurred to invisibility.
"I don't know," David said honestly. "But it suggests we need to think about security differently. Not just physical security, but systemic resilience. Infrastructure that can't be easily compromised or turned against its purpose."
"That's what I appreciate about your work, Chen. You think about failure modes and design for resilience. Most architects design for ideal conditions. You design for worst-case scenarios."
"Because worst-case scenarios happen more often than people expect."
"Yeah." Tony was quiet for a moment. "Listen, I wanted to thank you personally. Your team helped with triage after the attack. That mattered. A lot of people got help faster because you stayed instead of just evacuating."
"It's what needed doing."
"Most people don't do what needs doing when it's dangerous or difficult. They do what's safe and comfortable." Tony's tone shifted slightly. "Chen, I'm going to be making some changes to how Stark Industries approaches security and technology development. The expo made it clear we need better safeguards, better oversight, better thinking about how our innovations could be misused. I'd like your input on that."
"My input? I'm an architect, not a security consultant."
"You're someone who thinks about how things can go wrong and designs systems to prevent or mitigate those failures. That's exactly the perspective I need." Tony paused. "Also, your campus project is impressive. JARVIS has been analyzing the design, the way you've built in redundancy, the attention to potential failure modes, the consideration of worst-case scenarios. You're paranoid in really useful ways."
David couldn't help but smile. "Paranoid is a strong word."
"Prepared, then. But seriously, I'd value your thoughts on how to make technology safer without making it less effective. Can we schedule a meeting?"
"Of course. When?"
"I'll have my people coordinate with yours. And Chen? Be careful. The expo attack proved there are people out there with serious capabilities and willingness to use violence. You're building something valuable, which makes you interesting to people who shouldn't be interested. Watch your back."
It was the second time in a week that someone had warned David about attracting dangerous attention. First the expo attack as object lesson, now Tony's explicit warning. The universe was trying to tell him something.
After the call, David sat in his office, thinking about convergence. Multiple storylines intersecting, multiple forces moving toward collision. Tony's expo attack. The city partnership application. The approaching Chitauri invasion. Hydra's shadow war against the Foundation. SHIELD's investigation of networks they didn't fully understand.
Everything was accelerating, complications multiplying, stakes rising with each passing day. David felt like he was orchestrating a symphony while standing in the middle of a hurricane, trying to keep multiple elements coordinated while chaos swirled around him.
His phone buzzed. Council Member Rodriguez: "City partnership selection committee wants to interview finalist organizations. Your application made the cut. Congratulations. Interview scheduled for April 15th. Prepare to present your vision and answer hard questions."
David stared at the message, calculating. April 15th was two weeks away. Three months before the expected invasion date. If they secured the partnership, they'd have city resources and legitimacy. If they didn't, they'd need to find another path forward with their current constraints.
Everything was narrowing toward critical decision points. The expo attack had demonstrated how quickly chaos could erupt. The city partnership could transform their capabilities or entangle them in bureaucracy. The Chitauri invasion was approaching with relentless certainty.